Method and device for reading authentication means and adapted identification means

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns a method for reading single volume and non-reproducible identification means ( 100 ) comprising a mixture of at least two materials ( 110  and  120 ) distinguishable from each other ( 110  and  120 ), characterized in that it consists in recognizing in two dimensions the internal heterogeneous structure of said identification means ( 100 ) and in isolating and demonstrating its third dimension thereby eliminating the risk of imposture. Said characteristic enables to reduce storage volume and the periods of time required for scanning, acquisition and comparison operations performed in such processes. The invention also concerns a device for implementing said method. The invention is useful for identifying and authenticating objects, living beings, transactions.

APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The application of this invention is for the identification andauthentication of objects, living creatures, and transactions, and foradaptations to optimize the reading of non-reproducible means ofidentification.

DESCRIPTION OF EARLIER METHODS

[0002] All creatures, all goods, and all transactions must be associatedwith a definite identity. These same creatures, goods, and transactionswill then be referenced by that identity when there is a need toauthenticate their identification. In the past, and today more thanever, unscrupulous people seek to counterfeit either the products ortheir associated identities. Likewise, although it is impossible tocounterfeit living creatures, it is possible that their identity can befalsified or usurped as needed.

[0003] Today there exist many unique and non-reproducible methods ofidentification. For example, the means of identification described inpatent GB 2 304 077 consists of an assortment of reflective particlesdistributed in three dimensions in a support material, said particlesreflecting from a light source an assortment of rays at different anglesto create a unique signature of reflected light that can be detected bya reading method.

[0004] It is true that a random, three-dimensional arrangement ofheterogeneous material guarantees the uniqueness and non-reproducibilityof a means of identification. Nevertheless, storing these differentsignatures and reading and comparing them in order to guarantee suchqualities are a very complex process. Such a means of identificationmust be unable to be falsified in order to guarantee the authenticityand security of its associated goods and services. In addition, there isalso a risk that the slightest variation in the relative position of theincidental lighting, the receiver, and the means of identification willbe enough to generate a different signal. As a result, it is almostimpossible to construct two identical readers. Large-scale use of such ameans of identification and its reading method would slow downtransactions considerably, serving as a barrier to its use. It is alsopossible to trick such a device, thereby rendering it useless. All thatis necessary is to have access to the various signatures in order topresent photocopies of them to the reading device.

[0005] Storing a group of luminous signatures of a means ofidentification requires a large number of bytes, and comparison of oneof these signatures to the recorded group can take hours with today'smethods of communication. This reading method allows falsification sinceit only interprets images projected on a plane, even though they aregenerated three-dimensionally.

[0006] Another means of identification is described in patent GB 2 324065. This method also offers a three-dimensional guarantee of uniquenessand non-reproducibility. However, the means of identification describedin that document consists of first and second distinct elements, thesecond element being fixed and positioned randomly inside the first,with the position of the second element in relation to the first formingan identification code. Rather than translating the position of thefirst element in relation to the other into code, it is possible toutilize a standard analysis of the pattern formed by the heterogeneousitems in the interior of a transparent material.

[0007] Nevertheless, this reading method can be deceived since the imagethat is analyzed consists of a two-dimensional image, the reader notutilizing its full three-dimensional structure. Therefore, the thirddimension or the three-dimensional geometry is the guarantor ofuniqueness and non-reproducibility, but the reading method can bedeceived since it does not take into account the three-dimensionalnature of the means of identification. However, even if the reading orcoding could be conducted on the totality of the volume, the number ofpossibilities would create the same problems already described above inthat the reading, storage, and comparison would become such lengthyoperations that this authentication solution could not really beexploited on a grand scale.

[0008] The three-dimensional nature of this type of means ofidentification, which is composed of measurable heterogeneous itemsdistributed randomly in a support material, guarantees uniqueness andnon-reproducibility, since the random arrangement is difficult toreproduce in three dimensions. Moreover, it is not possible to reproducea layout that is itself embedded in the material without modifying saidlayout.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Based on this fact, the applicant researched an optimized processfor reading a unique and non-reproducible authentication method based onvolume. This research led to the design of a reading process for meansof identification containing bubbles that is particularly new andinventive.

[0010] According to the invention, the reading process for a unique andnon-reproducible means of identification consisting of a mixture of atleast two distinct materials forming a transparent matrix is remarkablein that it consists of one part to identify the internal heterogeneousstructure of said means of identification in two dimensions, and anotherpart to detect and determine its third dimension.

[0011] This characteristic is particularly advantageous in that itbreaks down the procedure into two operations, greatly simplifying thereading and acquisition while still guaranteeing authenticity.

[0012] It is a recognized fact that the third dimension guarantees theuniqueness and non-reproducibility of a means of identificationcontaining heterogeneous material when it is subjected to a reader.Likewise, it is well known that a random arrangement of one material inrelation to another, the two materials being distinguishable from oneanother, constitutes a code. Consequently, the applicant has devised areading process consisting of recording and reading the means ofidentification in two dimensions and then confirming itsthree-dimensional nature without the possibility of falsification ofsaid means of identification during these operations. It is no longernecessary to store all of the luminous or other type of signatures for ameans of identification as was required by earlier reading processes, orall the signatures that verify the three-dimensional nature of the meansof identification in order to avoid falsification. Only onetwo-dimensional representation, generated by submitting to diffuselighting, suffices for recognition and coding of the means ofidentification, its storage therefore becoming less problematic andcomparison of the images becoming a very rapid operation. This operationis then immediately followed, without moving the means ofidentification, by submission to direct lighting, which generates ashadow and thus attests to its authenticity.

[0013] Another goal of the invention is to provide a way to create adevice utilizing said reading process. This device is particularlysuited for a means of identification containing bubbles.

[0014] Another goal of the invention is to provide a means ofidentification adapted to and optimized for this reading process.

[0015] The fundamental concepts of the invention have been describedabove in their most elementary form. Other details and characteristicswill arise more clearly from reading the description that follows andfrom the attached diagrams.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DIAGRAMS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a top view of an assortment ofmeans of identification subjected to the invention's reading process,

[0017]FIGS. 2a and 2 b are photographs of a top view of the means ofidentification illustrating the results of the invention's process,

[0018]FIGS. 3a and 3 b are schematic diagrams of a device implementingthe two operations comprising the invention's process with lighting fromthe lower part and acquisition from the top,

[0019]FIGS. 4a and 4 b are schematic diagrams of a device implementingthe two operations comprising the invention's process with lighting andacquisition from the same side.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED METHODS OF IMPLEMENTATION

[0020] As illustrated in the diagrams of FIGS. 1, 2a, and 2 b, theunique and non-reproducible means of identification referred to in itsentirety as 100 includes a transparent hardened mixture 110 and anassortment of bubbles 120. As illustrated in the diagrams of FIGS. 3aand 3 b, the means of identification has a third dimension thatguarantees its uniqueness and authenticity.

[0021] According to the invention, the reading process consists of firstrecognizing the internal heterogeneous structure of the means ofidentification in two dimensions and then verifying the third dimension.According to the first method of implementation illustrated in FIG. 1,the process is marked by verifying the three-dimensional arrangement ofthe layout of material 120 contained in the means of identification byanalyzing the shadows 121 generated by said materials 110 and 120 fromthe angle of incidence of a light 300 relative to the means ofidentification 100. This solution is remarkable in that it proposes aparticularly simple verification of the three-dimensional structure.Therefore, within the framework of an application based on a means ofidentification containing bubbles, the mere presence of shadows belowthe bubbles or in the axis that they form with the light sourceguarantees that the bubbles are arranged in three dimensions. Thisinformation, in conjunction with the recognition in two dimensions ofthe means of identification, allows a reading process that cannot befalsified and is particularly rapid.

[0022] Using the specific and preferred option of bubbles, the applicantmoreover devised another advantageous characteristic of the process inthat it consists of reading and verifying the three-dimensional layoutof the bubbles contained in the means of identification throughsuccessive and immediate subjection of said means of identification todiffuse lighting, making it possible to obtain a two-dimensionalprojection of the outlines of the bubbles to allow their reading andcoding, then to direct lighting, generating a reflection on theinterface that separates the heterogeneous material from the transparentproduct, therefore proving its three-dimensional aspect and thus itsauthenticity. These two successive lightings are done automatically in avery short time with the means of identification in a fixed position tomake it impossible for any manipulation intended to deceive the reader,such as presenting a two-dimensional shadow picture immediately afterthe first acquisition. This aspect is illustrated in FIGS. 3a and 3 bwhere the means of identification 100 is subjected to the diffuselighting in FIG. 3a, then to the direct lighting illustrated in FIG. 3b,the means of identification being the object of acquisition for readingor recording by an unspecified acquisition device 200, depicted here bya digital photographic device.

[0023] The result of this successive subjection to different lightingsappears in FIGS. 2a and 2 b, where it is easy to note the emphasis onthe three-dimensional structure of a means of identification containingbubbles 120 by the different reflections that they cast in relation todifferent lighting. Indeed, because of their translucent structure,bubbles permit either diffuse or direct axial lighting, therebysimplifying the reading process and its implementation. The acquisitionmethod only has to compare the two images locally to verify that thesame bubbles 120 in fact produced the different reflections. Therefore,because of another especially advantageous aspect of the invention, theprocess is remarkable in that it emphasizes the three-dimensional aspectof the means of identification by analyzing the forms reflected by thebubbles 120 contained in the means of identification based on lighting.The application of the invention's reading process to a means ofidentification containing bubbles constitutes an innovation on priormethods since the source of light does not change but rather the natureof the light, conveying different information rather than a new luminoussignature. This is different from prior methods, which varied luminousflows in order to acquire new luminous signatures to prove thethree-dimensional nature of the means of identification and thereby torecognize it, which can very easily be falsified since there is noconcept of time between two successive acquisitions.

[0024] Simultaneously, or at least successively, the two-dimensionalimage of the means of identification is compared with those storedduring its manufacture. This comparison will take place locally, inother words by the reader or by a microprocessor that can be included init. Once the means of identification has been recognized, thetransaction (assuming it is a transaction-type application) can beconcluded. In such a case, the coding of the means of identification canbe contained in a secret part of a microchip that is linked to saidmeans of identification.

[0025] Of course, when the two-dimensional image is recognized and thethird dimension of the means of identification 100 is not present, thetransaction would not be authorized and the means of identificationwould be seized, as would also happen when the two-dimensional image isdifferent from that on record.

[0026] In order to speed up the reading process, the means ofidentification 100 can contain a call sign readable by the acquisitionmethod that will be provided during the authentication request, or asecret code giving access to a local or remote database.

[0027] The diagrams in FIGS. 3a and 3 b illustrate a particularlyadvantageous device referenced as 300 that implements this process. Thisdevice 300 is remarkable in that it contains a sloped lighting surfacecontaining bulbs, here shown as 310, where all the bulbs can be lightedto create diffuse lighting on the means of identification 100, and thenone single bulb is lighted to create direct lighting on means ofidentification 100. The advantage of this method of implementation isthat it offers a different lighting solution, yet one that is verysimple and easy to implement, using device 300 as a base.

[0028] The diagrams in FIGS. 4a and 4 b illustrate another method ofimplementation where the means of identification 100 is decoded andauthenticated by the reader and successive lights located on the sameside. In 4 a, lamps 600 and 500, placed on the periphery of a dome, arelighted together to provide diffuse lighting to allow acquisition method200 to determine the contours of the coding elements. Under thislighting, acquisition method 200 provides a well-defined image of thecontours as is represented by 700. This is followed immediately andwithout delay by the lighting represented in 4 b where lamps 600 aredark and lamps 500 provide direct lighting to create a shadow of thecoding elements to verify the authenticity of the means ofidentification. Under this lighting, acquisition method 200 provides animage of the bubble shadows projected on the interface as is representedby 800.

[0029] Another focus of the invention is embodied by a means ofidentification adapted to the invention process. In this instance, theapplicant has designed a means of identification containing bubbles 100that are not the result of a particular mixing process in order toensure the non-reproducibility of such a means of identification evenwhen an identical mixture of the materials occurs. The means ofidentification devised by the applicant is remarkable in that itconsists of a transparent material where the bubbles have beenself-generated by treatment with heat during the hardening of saidtransparent material. Therefore, the means of identification does notresult from a mixture but from self-generation, which cannot becontrolled and subsequently reproduced.

[0030] The reading process for a means of identification, the deviceimplementing it, and the means of identification adapted to andoptimized for this process that were described and represented above arenot its only uses. Its industrial applications are numerous, a few ofwhich possibilities are:

[0031] protection against counterfeiting in any form (luxury items, artobjects, antiquities . . . ),

[0032] positive identification for individuals carrying identity cards,passports, driver's licenses, or any other official document,

[0033] positive identification for transactions conducted by magnetic orsmart cards and banknotes,

[0034] positive traceability for foodstuffs and any potentiallydestructive items,

[0035] positive identification for animals protected for humanconsumption or in the wild,

[0036] access control for private residences, public places, andhigh-security areas.

1. Reading process for a three-dimensional means of identification (100)that is unique and non-reproducible (100) containing a mixture of atleast two materials (110 and 120) that can be distinguished from oneanother (110 and 120) forming a transparent matrix, CHARACTERIZED BYconsisting of one part to recognize the heterogeneous internal structurein two dimensions of said means of identification (100) and another partto verify and prove its third dimension without possible falsification.2. Process according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY verifying thethree-dimensional layout of the materials (110 and 120) contained in themeans of identification (100) by analyzing the shadows (121) generatedby said materials (110 and 120) as a factor of the angle of incidence ofa light source in relation to said means of identification (100). 3.Process according to claim 1 for reading a means of identificationcontaining bubbles (120), CHARACTERIZED BY reading and verifying thethree-dimensional layout of the bubbles (120) contained in the means ofidentification (100) by submitting said means of identification (100)successively and without delay to diffuse lighting resulting in atwo-dimensional projection (700) of the contours of the bubbles (120),thereby allowing them to be read and coded, then to direct lightinggenerating a reflection on the interface (800) separating theheterogeneous material from the transparent product (110), therebyproving its three-dimensional aspect and rendering impossible anymanipulation designed to deceive the reader.
 4. Process according toclaim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY verifying the three-dimensional layout (800)of the means of identification (100) by analyzing the reflected shapesof the bubbles (120) contained in the means of identification (100)caused by lighting.
 5. Device (300) implementing the process accordingto any of claims 1 to 4, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it is composedof a ramp containing light sources (310) that goes from a state in whichall the lights (500 and 600) are illuminated in order to create diffuselighting, to a state where only one light (500) is illuminated in orderto create direct lighting.
 6. Means of identification (100) adapted tothe process according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it iscomposed of a transparent material (110) in which the bubbles (120) havebeen self-generated by treatment with heat during the hardening of saidtransparent material (110). NOVATEC.